Jam Packed Post, Ready to Read?
I have been thinking about writing a post every day this week, but life has changed. How? Why? Read on. 
CAUTION: This is a long post. It goes on and on and on. Read at your leisure. 
I have made headings for those who would rather scim through the post, you can then read the topics that you find interesting. Smart eh? Thank you, thank you. 
Birthdays
I can remember the first time Govind commented on our blog even without looking it up. It was Swatantrata Divas last year, and Neeraj and I had written a joint post in shudh Hindi. To sum it up Govind’s comment, he said:
You guys used big words
Here’s Govind’s full comment given on August 15th, 2004:
Hmm, tough hindi words.
Happy independence day. I think, if our government would have spent at least 5% of their defence expenditure, Indian’s would have made some achievement at olympics. Have to see, when this will happen.
I don’t remember seeing Govind’s picture until our first OBM when I asked everyone to send me one so that I could put it up in our gallery. By reading his posts and his comments on our blog, I imagined Govind to be a tall, dark, thin, typical Hyderbadi with a moustache and a stoic expression. I was close, he didn’t have a moustache. 
He always provides insight to whatever topic whenever he has commented on our blog. I always am interested to hear what he has to say. Sorry that these wishes are late, but even that will be explained very soon. We hope that your day was as special and memorable as you!
She’s a close cousin of mine, I have mentioned her once before on her b’day last year. Today is also her mother’s birthday (my bua), and I hope that they both have a wonderful day today!
Job
So since recently I haven’t mentioned much about my job. I haven’t had a chance with all that is going on with Neeraj, his passport, and his visa. I rolled onto the project near my home. It wasn’t the role that I wanted to be in (its more of a functional process architecture role rather than technical), but I am glad to be commuting from home and not traveling by plane. So I started there on 8th August, and its been fun so far. I work Mon-Thurs 10 hours a day, and then I get Fridays completely off.
So here’s a typical Mon-Thurs morning for me:
5.20 am - wake up
5.30 am - shower
5.45 am - getting ready & checking emails/blogs (I can’t check anything @ work 
)
6.05 am - driving
6.50 am - reach the office
Then I usually leave around 5.20 pm in the evenings and make it home by 6 pm. By the time I get home, change, eat dinner, watch Fame Gurukul and my other serials, I am left with about 0% of energy. Kunal summed it really well yesterday by saying that every time he checks my online status on Y! Messenger, its either on “at the office” or “sleeping”.
I am working at a huge client where 90% of the contractors are either from Patni, Satyam, or HTC Technologies, so you can imagine how many Indians are there. I had seen something on the very first day I was at the client site that I will never forget and haver never seen in America. The majority of the Indian women that worked there were wearing salwar kameezes/punjabi dresses. 
My first thought was,
Am I in India or America?
As anyone else seen this before here? I don’t know about you guys, but it was odd the first time I saw it. But now, even I am thinking about wearing a salwar kameez one day too.
Neeraj’s Update
So the last you might have read was that Neeraj got his passport. Then last Monday he had gone to the US Consulate to get his visa re-stamped on his new passport. They told him to come back on Tuesday at 4 pm to pick it up. He bought train tickets to go home on Tuesday night because we assumed that he would get his stamped passport and the visa documents that day. We made that fatal mistake: trusted the Consulate! 
He got his visa alright, but when he asked for his visa documents packet, the lady didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. He explained that when he came here almost a month before, they told him to get a new passport and @ that time turned his wet visa documents. He was told that he would get a new packet when he came for the re-stamping. But that lady was so rude to him and just told him to come back the next day, and she couldn’t do anything. Now you guys should know that buying train tickets for the next day is just about impossible. So first he went to the railway station to get a train ticket for Wednesday, but in vain. The ticket counter closed before it was Neeraj’s turn.
Then Neeraj went home, didn’t even get to cancel his Tuesday train ticket. He went back to the US Consulate on Wednesday morning at 7 am. Now really how much time do you think that they would take? One hour? two hours? No, Neeraj didn’t get the packet until 1 pm (he sat at the Consulate for 6 hours ). After two hours when Neeraj asked how much longer it will take, the same lady from Tuesday was there, and she told him not to tell her how to do her job. What the freak??? Finally he got his visa packet, amazingly got a ticket on August-Kranti and got to Sawai Madhopur to be with his elder sister on Thursday morning. 
He is going to Hindaun with his elder sister today, so finally he will be home. His ticket to the US also got confirmed today, and he will be reaching on the 8th of September (granted there are no more roadblocks ). 
I am really ticked @ the US Consulate in Mumbai, and I am contemplating writing a blog about just it. I was thinking of starting one on blogspot, anybody have thoughts on this??? I just want to vent out my anger. I have written a letter once complaining to the US government about the Consulate in Mumbai, and it really didn’t help. I am thinking I should write a letter to my Congressman, but I also want the public to know the truth about it too. Please give me your thoughts.
Interesting article on being an online persona — Thanks to Ashwin.
Now my long post is coming to an end. Everybody in America, enjoy the long weekend (its Labor Day on Monday ).
Alvida. Jai Mata Di.
September 1st, 2005 at 9:19 pm
long post.. requires a long comment
will do it after the exam… its starting within an hour… aake reply karta hoon :) wish me luck!! sirf luck ke sahare hi aaj main pass ho sakta hoon…:shock:
September 1st, 2005 at 9:20 pm
waise.. for a change.. i was first one to comment… :D
Ankur, do you still think that you can surprass my comment count?
September 1st, 2005 at 9:21 pm
Tumhara comment count ko nahi beat kar sakhega.
UNLESS…you go back into hiding. 
September 1st, 2005 at 11:30 pm
Ok.. so Neeraj will be there in US soon… Great
I am ready to join in & blow whistles against US Consulate
Manpreet… yeh to WAQT hi batayega
Govind… Belated Happy Birthday. You can email the cake on the groups
September 2nd, 2005 at 1:16 am
Thanks for the wishes Poonam. :)
Time passes by pretty fast, its more than a year that I know you guys. I never met you personally, but it was nice knowing you guys. And yes, I will surely try to be there for your marriage. Chief guest tho kisiko banna padega right?.
So finally Neeraj got his visa. Congratulations to you both. Take care.
September 2nd, 2005 at 7:33 am
That indeed was a loooong post.
Well, Happy B’Day to Govind and to your cousin.
And congrats for Neeraj’s visa’s restamping. I am ure everything will work out fine and u will be with him by next Thursday…
Take care & enjoy the long weekend.
September 2nd, 2005 at 11:18 am
hi! I am back in the US now..read through all the drama that went on with the US consulate. I hope Neeraj gets to be with you ASAP! 8th september is only 6 days away! i am so happy for the two of you!
I am thinking I am going to have to deal with the same drama when our time comes around. Chalo, thanks to your blog..i wil be prepared. But all’s well that ends well…wishing you great luck for the day when Neeraj lands in the US.
Acha you two have to take a vacation down here to North Carolina after Neeraj gets settled down. We should all go white water rafting..it will be a whole lot of fun.
I am still unpacking and jetlagged and so did not want to return..it was the third time I was leaving him behind..but felt like the first time all over again..
you take care..best wishes from both of us :) glad to be back at your blog
September 2nd, 2005 at 11:49 am
Back! =)
First and all Happy Birthday (belated) to Govind! It’s good, that you reminded about this :)
And, happy b’day to your cousin as well =)
BTW, you have a nice schedule… though waking up at 5.20am is extremely tough (atleast in my case). And, yeah, the day is not far off, when even the Americans will start wearing Indian clothers.. India is the IN thing these days =)
And, good that Neeraj got his passport.. finally!…. it has been a long ordeal for both of you… but, if everything goes fine at the end, who cares.. right? And, yes I do feel starting a blog against US consultate will be helpful… i am sure there are many people will share their thoughts on the issue… rem’ber Ankur & sushubh’s fight against sify… or maybe.. with help of Ankur, you can even file a case :p 100-200 crore bucks sue kar do =)
September 2nd, 2005 at 1:16 pm
are wah! badhai ho badhai!
i told u na…it was just a matter of time! now enjoy!!! have a blast!!!
September 2nd, 2005 at 1:22 pm
Please do join on blowing the whistle on the US Consulate in Mumbai. Send me your suggestions O Great Lawyer.
I need some help thinking of what I should title that blog. 
Thanks!
You are most welcome Govind.
Haan aakhir main aap hi hamara Chief Guest hone wale ho. Vilaayat (Abroad) se Govind aaya hai:!: 
I hope that you had a very Happy Birthday!
Thanks Mannat.
It was a long post, hopefully that will be my record for longest post. 
Thanks for the nice words. 
Hopefully there will be no more roadblocks. 
Hope all is well with you.
Good to see you back Kaush. I hope that you reached home safely.
But after reading your blog, I am concerned for you. I hope that you get back into routine very quickly — that is really what is needed to get through it all. 
North Carolina aana toh muskil hai, par we will think of something surely. 
Maybe Smokey Mountains ka plan banaa sakte hain? Or somewhere else? We will have to see. 
Its a long shot that my parents will allow me to just “go” with Neeraj. 
Kuch sochenge until then keep your spirits up! 
Good to see you back Manpreete.
How was the exam? Hope you did well. 
Yup it ends up working out when I get my Fridays off. Ha. Americans starting to wear desi clothes..yup that will be the next trend. 
200 crore?
Will you help finance? 
I need all the help I can get with the new blog, so please do give suggestions. 
September 2nd, 2005 at 1:23 pm
September 2nd, 2005 at 2:43 pm
200 crores mein apna share lene zaroor aa jayoonga =)
on a serious note, start a blog… share your experience.. and then we can even ask news agencies to cover it… shayad thodi publicity bhi ho jayegi… atleast mumbai mirror mein to is blog ka naam aa jayega.. thats for sure!
Title - US cons(hell)tate
kaisa hai? =)
September 2nd, 2005 at 3:36 pm
Thanks Poonam
I think… the name get saved as First Name… this time… no problems.
Suggestions coming soon…..
September 3rd, 2005 at 6:37 am
Thank you all for the wishes. :)
Btw, I suggest you not to write something against the consulate people openly. Think from their prospective, things like that do happen. If you write openly, I think that wont serve the purpose. But one thing you can do is to bring that incident to the authorities notice, where it went wrong. That can be a good strategy. :)
September 3rd, 2005 at 7:33 am
wowww Poonam … at the moment I really want to jump, dance and hug you
This is really a news !!! Neeraj is coming to US, yeyyyyy finally !!!! I am really really happy for you. A long wait finally got paid 
That lady is really rude … I think almost all people in consulate are like that. I don’t understand why they behave so rude to everybody ? Why can they be polite and friendly a bit ?
Happy Birthday to Govind and your cousin
hmm just wondering, Govind doesn’t write blog anymore ? Because when I went to his web, there was no blog anymore ….
Again Poonam, I am really really happy for you. God bless you always … I can’t wait for 8th Sept too :)
September 3rd, 2005 at 10:27 am
Lagta hai… Manpreet ki mumbai Mirror mein approach hai… ;)
Kunal is so right… Poonam’s online status on Y! Messenger, its either on “at the office” or “sleeping”
September 3rd, 2005 at 2:28 pm
hehe… yup, i gotta friend over there =)
September 4th, 2005 at 7:54 pm
Got it Ankur.
Waiting for your suggestions. 
No Govind, it will serve a purpose because their attitude towards their customers is horrible. I had even written a letter and sent it to the United States Government so that they understand what type of ppl they have representing the US in Mumbai. The response I got was far from satisfactory. So its now my turn to show the facts. Its very important to me that other “customers” as well as anybody who reads the blog understand the attitude, arrogance, and work ethics of those Indians at the Consulate. Whatever it is, if they don’t know how to do their job — they shouldn’t be @ that position.
Thank you so much Mona dear.
Yes, let’s hope there are no other roadblocks. There are some internal problems that we are facing that I am going to post next. 
Do read. 
Govind has stopped blogging.
I don’t know if he will be coming back to it anytime soon. 
September 4th, 2005 at 11:36 pm
Thats a good news :D !! Happy Belated b’day Govind (I guess u dunn chk Orkut anymore :P)
Starting a blog is good, but usmein do baatein hongi, either u will incourage more “sataye” hue ppl to blog or u will juz blog abt ur interaction w/ them. Agar sataye hue ppl ne blog kiya then its ok, but if u blog about it, tab bhi 2 baatein hongi, either u’ll have to add mirch-masala to the content or u’ll b done w/ the content soon, mirch-masala lagaya to thik hai, but if u r done w/ the content after a few posts, the blog will be non-functional. Now, if u have to have a non-functional blog, usse achcha hai blog start hi na karo. :P Hope u got my idea….yes write an office-office episode on it and send it to them(Office-Office wale) or write an impressive article send it to desi-videsi newspapers and other *affluent* online communities/publications.
In addition to that, you can start a np.com/theblogname for ppl’s reference!
September 4th, 2005 at 11:42 pm
Mirch-masala..hmm..it will be the truth…now the way to add mirch-masala will definitely have to be to attract the reader..and i think i can do that.
I guess we will have to see. 
Thanks alot for the great suggestions.. Keep it coming!!
September 5th, 2005 at 8:05 am
Hey…
not able to log onto my gmail account… send me the password at Manpreet[at]iitb.ac.in
September 5th, 2005 at 4:15 pm
Hi,
Sucky story, but hopefully a happy ending soon.
US consulate, Indian consulate, any department of motor vehicles (where you get your drivers license) all tend to generally suck. A separate blog for the miserable people (not all of them, but most of them) is certainly a great idea. I have bitched and moaned plenty about these gov’t agencies, but they usually fall on deaf ears. Hopefully the blogs will have some impact, or at least better prepare those who are going there for the first time.
Good luck!
September 5th, 2005 at 9:41 pm
I definitely agree with you. Even I wrote a letter to the Director of International Operations in Washington DC (who heads all of the US Consulates in the World) but the response I received was far from satisfactory.
If there is any publicity received from the blog, that will be an added bonus. We will see how well the blog is received.
Thanks for the support:!:
September 6th, 2005 at 6:23 am
hey Poonam… thts a good news atlast… late to read all these.. but, happy for u both…
and belated b’day wishes for Govind and ur cousin…
new blog? did see some link in the latest post.. but, i started reading from the post I missed.. will check it out now. :)
September 6th, 2005 at 10:33 pm
“I was thinking of starting one on blogspot, anybody have thoughts on this???”
I might have something 4 u (soon), in addition to ur blog.
September 7th, 2005 at 6:49 pm
Waiting for your comments/suggestions Gaurav.
Thanks!
September 7th, 2005 at 11:05 pm
That comment/suggestion is being talked here.
But, its not fully ready yet….